The Duke's Passion

Chapter 741  The young Noah Remington

Meanwhile, in Whistlebird…

In the lavish dining hall of the Remington Mansion, all members of the clan, with the Duke sitting on the head seat, were dining in silence. Clang!

The silent air broke when a cutlery fell from someone's hand. Everyone raised their eyes at Noah Remington, furrowing their brows upon seeing his pale complexion. "Noah, are you alright?"

Noah raised his shaking eyes at the person who asked him a question. There, his big brother, Arthur, who was also the heir of the Duke, laughed. Arthur pointed at the other cutlery with his chin. "You were suddenly zoning out while saying something," said Arthur to Noah, bringing his little brother back from his trance. "What is it? Father is listening."

Noah opened and closed his mouth, looking around the dining table, and the dread that crept up his spine grew distinct. His eyes then landed on the person sitting at the end of the long table.

'Father…' he held his breath, studying Duke Anton's face. Noah then shifted his eyes back to Arthur, and the latter arched a brow. "What…" Noah sprung up from his feet, making everyone pause in eating, and setting their eyes on him. Arthur, the said heir of the Duke of Whistlebird, leaned back. His brows furrowed, curious at the shock that was dominating Noah's face. "Sit down," Lord Anton, the current Duke of Whistlebird, broke his silence. Unlike everyone who was obviously wondering the same thing as Arthur, the duke continued slicing the piece of meat in his place. "Our family might've accumulated all the wealth in the world, but do not waste the food in front of me. Don't waste the food that our family had spent a dime with."

"If you want to waste money, go to that pathetic restaurant owned by the Browns." Arthur shook his head, resuming his meal since the duke wasn't bothered. "Uh…" Noah gulped, sitting back in his chair. His hand trembled, hiding them under the table while a servant approached him to replace his cutlery and picked up the other one. The family dinner resumed like usual; everyone was just silent, and without Noah bragging about anything he could broach, the life in the dining hall was practically dead. Some enjoyed Noah's silence since it was rare, while others couldn't be bothered.

Noah was known to be the unreasonable young Lord who followed Arthur around. He wasn't any less cruel than their father and Arthur, and thus, he got along with the heir of their father. Just a moment ago, Noah's voice was echoing in the dining hall while bragging about how he forced a clan to pay their injustice taxes. But now, he was just silent while staring at his barely touched food.

'What is going on?' Keeping his head hung low, everyone failed to see the dread plastered across his face. 'How… are they all alive? No, how is this possible? Why am I back in here? With them?'

Noah's last memory before waking up as the young Lord of the Remington Clan was being in this same mansion. However, he wasn't the young master, who was surviving by currying favor with Arthur's wickedness. Before this… he was the Duke of Whistlebird, and under his governance, he slightly changed the old wicked ways his father had established long ago.

'Kristina.' His wife's name crossed his head, making his grip around the cutlery tighten. 'I don't… His Grace!'

Noah's eyes lit up, recalling if Samael had known about this. Noah knew no matter how terrified and puzzled he was in this situation, he couldn't just act recklessly. He raised his head slightly, taking a peek at Arthur.

'It seemed he doesn't know yet.' Noah heaved a sigh of relief before he shifted his eyes to his father, Duke Anton. His back stiffened when the latter glanced at him.

Duke Anton said nothing, nor did he hold Noah's gaze that long. However, there was something different in the duke's gaze and Noah couldn't point out what it was exactly. 'Does he know?' Noah wondered, clearing his throat, forcing himself to act like what everyone expected. It was his survival instinct to take charge, lest there were others who were aware of the situation. After all, how Noah had gotten the title of the duke was a blood phase in his life. Samael killed Arthur in the past, taking out Anton's capable heir. And as such, Samael supported Noah to become the next duke of Whistlebird. Some of his family members supported Noah just because they didn't want to offend Samael, while the others didn't fancy the idea of having to deal with the said man. But that wasn't Noah's primary concern because, unlike the rest, Anton had fought for his status to death. Hence, to make sure Noah was capable and had the right to inherit the title, he had to challenge his father, which inevitably killed the duke.

'Until the end… he didn't acknowledge me.' Noah refocused his attention on the food right in front of him. 'Lest he remembers what happened, and he knew I retrieved my memories for some unknown reasons, I'll be in trouble. He will do everything he could to prevent what happened in the past… even if that means killing me.'

With that in mind, Noah continued eating in silence, trying to sort out his thoughts. But then, he slightly flinched when Duke Anton, Noah's father, spoke.

"Noah," called the Duke, watching Noah raise his eyes at him. "Did you talk to the Browns?"

"Pardon?"

"Noah, why do you look so surprised?" Arthur narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Not only did you suddenly turn silent, but you're acting strange."

Noah's throat bobbed under his father and his brother's gaze. He then laughed awkwardly, waving.

"What strange?" he shook his head, glancing at everyone around the table. "I mean, I definitely warned the Browns! I swear I –" Noah winced and then huffed, setting his eyes back to Duke Anton. "Father, why the hell are you keeping those troublesome alive?! They kept resisting me and because you want them alive, I can't—ugh! It's frustrating!"

"I knew it…" Arthur clicked his tongue, assuming Noah turned silent because he messed up with his task. The duke, on the other hand, studied Noah in silence before he rocked his head.

"Arthur, take your brother and teach him how you bend those troublemakers," ordered the Duke to his heir, which Arthur received with a confident nod. Arthur pointed at Noah. "You are always so soft. Be honored. You'll see me in action."

"Tsk! Father! Arthur will just make me do all the hard work!" Noah complained like usual, making Arthur chuckle. But deep in his heart, he sighed in relief, only to feel dread since his assumption that the Duke was aware of it grew solid.